The Detroit Pistons haven’t displayed many flaws while rising to the top of the Eastern Conference. Their game against Houston on Friday showed areas that opponents can exploit.
Sacramento will try to probe those weaknesses when the Kings visit Detroit on Sunday afternoon.
The Pistons lost to the Rockets 111-104 and saw their four-game winning streak snapped in the process. Detroit relies on defense and its ability to control the paint, but it doesn’t take a lot of 3-pointers and sometimes struggles with turnovers.
The Pistons shot just 7-for-32 from long range and committed 17 turnovers, including six by All-Star guard Cade Cunningham.
“We didn’t get a chance to get out and get in transition like we like to (or) play at the tempo we would like to. We bogged down a little bit offensively,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Detroit doesn’t have a lot of 3-point threats, something that the front office might need to address before the trade deadline. Its most accomplished long-range shooter, Duncan Robinson, made only two of his eight 3-point attempts Friday.
“I thought we missed some good ones,” Robinson said.
When the Pistons don’t get enough easy baskets off their suffocating defense, they can be vulnerable in the halfcourt.
“Our guys have played the right way. But again, (there are) opportunities for us to get better. That’s what we’ve been talking about,” Bickerstaff said. “We’re not a finished product yet, right? We’re going to use all these games to find ways to improve on the ways teams might play us. (Friday) was a good opportunity for us.”
When Cunningham is playing at his usual level, the Pistons are tough to beat. After missing the previous game due to an illness and a hip contusion, Cunningham had an off night. He scored just 12 points, over 13 below his season average (25.3).
The Pistons had no trouble scoring against the Kings last month in Sacramento. They shot 54% from the field in a 136-127 victory.
Sacramento has dropped four straight while giving up an average of 123 points in that stretch. The Kings lost at Cleveland 123-118 on Friday. Sacramento rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a 114-113 lead with four minutes left but went cold from that point.
“We gave ourselves a chance to win, but we came up short,” said Kings guard Dennis Schroder, who played for the Pistons during the second half of last season.
Sacramento got off to a very slow start, trailing 16-2. The Kings played catch-up most of the way, but their bench kept them close.
“I talk about the standard all the time,” coach Doug Christie said. “There’s a level of physicality and a sense of urgency, and some nights it’s just like that. You’re not going at anybody. It’s just what it is. To the credit of the group that came in, they came in, and they got (going) immediately. They were not playing around. That’s just how we have to play. It’s an absolute must.”
That game began a six-game road swing.
The most encouraging sign was the play of Domantas Sabonis. In his fourth game back since missing two months due to a knee injury, Sabonis had 24 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists in 31 minutes.
–Field Level Media
